Mounting and operating means for venetian blinds



Patented Sept. 5, 1950 MOUNTING AND OPERATING MEANS FOR VENETIAN BLINDS Arthur (iuaick, Youngstown, Ohio Application March 8, 1947, Serial No. 733,330

4 Claims. (01. 160-168) This invention relates to Venetian blinds and more particularly to mounting and operating means therefor.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of novel means of mounting andoperating Venetian blinds.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a Venetian blind construction, the slat portions of which are unobstructed by tapes or ropes throughout their entire eflective length.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a Venetian blind including a plurality of slats positioned in detachable relation to operating means disposed adjacent their end portions.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive method of mounting Venetian blind slats.

The present invention relates to Venetian blinds in which a plurality of slats of suitable material such as thin steel or aluminum are provided with transverse curves and positioned in front of a window and arranged so that the slats may be tilted to various angles so as to control the amount of light admitted through the window. In the present invention the Venetian blind disclosed includes a tilting structure and a number of slats which are unencumbered throughout their length and thereby avoid the heretofore believed necessary mounting tapes and ropes which are objectionable from a point of view of appearance and cleanliness.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a Venetian blind formed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a portion of a slat of a Venetian blind.

Figure 3 is a cross section of a portion of the Venetian blind slat and mounting means shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of a portion of the mounting means of the slat shown in Figure 2 and taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross section of a portion of a mounting means of the Venetian blind slat shown in Figure 2 and taken on line 5-! thereof.

Figure 6 is an alternate form of mounting means for a Venetian blind slat.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the alternate mounting means shown in Figure 6.

By referring to the drawings and Figure 1 in particular it will be seen that a portion of a Venetian blind has been disclosed and includes a tilt board ll, a supporting rope II and a pair of flexible (preferably fabric) tapes I! and II amxed to the end of the tilt board it as by means of eyelets I4 and 15 formed in the tapes I! and 13, respectively, and engaged over head members It and H positioned on the end of the tilt board II and projecting therefrom. The tapes I! and II depend from the head members I and i1 and are provided with additional eyelets i4 and 15 at regularly spaced intervals and are adapted to carry a plurality of Venetian blind slats ll arranged in spaced relation below the tilt board It.

Each of the slats It, which are preferably formed of thin metal and transversely bowed as shown, is provided at their ends with a pair of clips I! which in turn carry head members 20 engageable with the eyelets l4 and IS in the tapes I! and It, thus providing for the support of the slats 18 by the tapes I! and 13 which are in turn carried by the tilt board It. The head members 20 and the eyelets I4 and 15 are so arranged that the head members 20 may revolve relatively freely in the eyelets i4 and at the same time be retained therein until forcibly removed therefrom.

By referring to Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, detailed views of the clips it, the

head members 20 and the eyelets II and 15 may be seen. It will be observed that the eyelets H and I! are preferably formed, as best shown in Figures 4 and 5, with spring members 2i therein so that when the head members 20 are passed therethrough, the spring members II will expand to receive the same and then contract to hold the same in position.

In Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings the vertical height of the eyelet members 14 is exaggerated as it will be understood that they are normally formed with as little vertical height as possible so as to facilitate the stacking of the vertical slats I 8 when the same are pulled upwardly as by means of the ropes Ii.

By referring again to Figure l of the drawings it will be seen that each of the slats II is provided with a T-shaped opening 9 formed in each 3 end'thereof and providing a vertical channel through which the ropes Ii are normally positioned. It will thus be seen that in assembling the Venetian blind as disclosed herein, the tapes i2 and is are attached at their uppermost ends to the tilt board ll of the Venetian blind mechanismwhichigusuallymountedsothatitcan be tilted transversely and thereby control the angle of the several slats II appended therebeneath. The slats it are each mounted on the tapes I! and II by the registering of the head members 2| with the eyelets ll and II, respectively, and the ropes or cords ll positioned through the assembly so that the entire assembl of slats is may be moved upwardly thereby as in raising the entire blind. Normally, light is controlled by the blind by tilting the tilt board ll in a manner known in the art and thereby causing the tape II. for example, to rise while the tape it descends and thus imparts tilting motion to each of the slats il secured thereto. It will thus be seen that the engagement between the head members" of the clips I! and the eyelets II and II must be loose enough so that the tapes I! and II in which the eyelets I4 and II are located will not be twisted out of vertical alignment.

By referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the draw ings it will be seen that each of the clips I! is preferably amxed to the ends of the slats is by dimpling the same as indicated by the numerals 22 in the several figures of the drawings. In Figure 3 of the drawings. in which a vertical cross section is shown, it will be seen that the dlmpling 22 may be preformed in the end of the pending the slats in operative relation from the slat as and preformed in the clip is so that the dimpling 22 may be brought into registry when the clip I! is applied thereto, or the dimpling 22 may be impressed through the clip II and the slat II when the clip is is installed thereon.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that several variations in the form of clips I! and/or the eyelets It and II may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention and in Figures 6 and 7 one such alternate form of clip is shown. In Figures 8 and '7 of the drawings a portion of a Venetian blind slat 23 is shown and a modified form of clip 24 is shown attached thereto. The clip 24 is in the form of a semi- U-shaped member, the arms of which are closely spaced with respect to one another. The arms are indicated by the numerals 25 and 28. one of the arms is provided with an indentation 21 adapted to register with the outermost end of the slat 23 and the opposite arm is formed with a downturned section 20 adapted to register with an opening 29 in the slat 28. This form of clip is self-retaining on the blind slat 23 and has the additional feature of providing a spring action in the looped head portion thereof which may be engaged directly in an eyelet with a spring action retaining characteristic depending upon th loop formation of the clip 24.

It will thus be seen that a Venetian blind may be formed by using the herein disclosed means of mounting the several slats on the ends thereof so that the blind is entirely free of obstructing tapes such as are commonly used in Venetian blind structures. It will also be seen that the slats of the blind can be readily removed for cleaning purposes. The construction disclosed 3 simple, inexpensive in manufacture and lends itself to relatively quick and easy Venetian blind construction and assembly. It will thus be seen said tilting mechanism, said means including clips affixed to the ends of the said slats, projecting head members formed on the said clips and pairs of fabric tapes depending from the said tilting mechanism, eyelets formed in the saidtapes, and springs in said eyelets partially restricting the same, the head members of the clips engaging the said eyelets so as to distort the springs and be retained therein and so as to suspend the slats from the said tapes.

2. Means for supporting thin metal Venetian blind slats by their outermost ends, said means including pairs of vertically positioned flexible support members having spaced openings formed therein, spring clips on said members registering with said openings, members attachable to the ends of the said Venetian blind slats and having headed projections formed thereon and normally in registry with the said spaced openings and retained by the said spring clips whereby movement imparted the supporting members is transmitted to the slats for tilting the same.

3. A Venetian blind including a tilting member, a plurality of slats disposed therebeneath, pairs of tapes pivotally affixed to the ends of the tilting member and suspended therefrom, eyelets having tensioning springs therein formed in spaced relation in the said tapes. p irs of clips positioned on each end of each of the said slats in spaced relation to one another, headed projections on the said clips disengageably secured in the said eyelets and normally retained therein by said springs, the said headed projections being rotatable in the said eyelets when the tilting mechanism is tilted and the movement imparted to the several slats through the said tapes.

4. A Venetian blind including a tilting member, a plurality of slats disposed therebeneath, pairs of tapes pivotally afllxed to the ends of the tilting member and suspended therefrom, eyelets formed in spaced relation in the said tapes,

' spring clips on said eyelets, pairs of clips posi- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 691,603 Coveney Jan. 21, 1902 847,143 Wyss Mar. 12, 1907 1,189,967 Kennedy et al July 4, 1918 2,103,394 Wade Dec. 28, 1937 2,152,117 Wade et al. Mar. 28, 1939 

